Lovers' Quarrel
by BroomballKraken
Summary: Sylvain left a lot unsaid before the war, mostly revolving around his true feelings for his longtime rival. When Lorenz did not show up to the promised reunion along with the rest of their classmates five years later, Sylvain expected the worst. What he did not expect, however, was coming face-to-face with Lorenz on the battlefield…as enemies.


"Sylvain! Enemy reinforcements sighted to the north!"

"I'm on it!"

Sylvain watched briefly as Ingrid flew off on her pegasus, before he took a deep breath and slipped his helmet back on, issuing orders to his soldiers before urging his horse to take off in the direction of the enemy.

The battle for the Great Bridge of Myrddin was going better than he had expected. The Kingdom forces had managed to thwart the first wave of reinforcements when the Empire had tried a pincer formation, and that paved the way for the Kingdom to take the Empire's fortress. If Sylvain could take care of this last wave of reinforcements while everyone else dealt with the main forces, they would win this battle in no time.

Sylvain's forces quickly descended upon the enemy, and he let out a yell as he charged right in with them. He thought he caught a glimpse of the enemy commander, as they were donning purple armor in contrast to the gray and red of the rest of their soldiers, and they were riding astride a horse just like Sylvain was. Their helmet-clad head turned in Sylvain's direction, and they wasted no time as they galloped straight for Sylvain at a thunderous pace.

Digging his heels into his own horse's sides, Sylvain pointing his lance at his opponent as he rode to meet them head on. When the two commanders finally clashed, Sylvain let out a yell as he thrust his lance at his opponent, hitting them square in the chest and knocking them off of their horse. Sylvain managed to dodge his opponent's own lance attack, but a fireball flew dangerously close to his horse, causing him to rear up and send Sylvain flying to the ground.

Sylvain quickly jumped to his feet, finding that his opponent was pushing themselves up, and they struggled to move, reaching desperately for their lance and helmet that lay just out of their reach. Sylvain clenched his jaw as he quickly ran over to place a foot on the enemy commander's chest, roughly shoving them back to the ground. This was it. All Sylvain had to do was end this miserable imperial's life, and this battle would be theirs to win.

Sucking in a deep breath, Sylvain thrust his lance down with intent to kill, but when his helmetless opponent looked up, Sylvain's brown eyes locked with a pair of amethyst, and he stopped abruptly, his muscles locking up with shock. His jaw dropped as his blood turned to ice in his veins when he finally looked at his opponent's face and realized exactly who he was fighting.

"L-Lorenz?" Sylvain somehow managed to say past the lump that had formed in his throat. No...this couldn't be right...Lorenz...with the Empire? He couldn't believe it. But as Sylvain continued to stare down at the man pinned under his foot, he knew that he was correct in his assumption of his identity. Lorenz's hair was longer than he remembered it being five years ago, and that beautiful shade of purple could not belong to anyone else. Lorenz still had the same striking eyes, flawless porcelain skin, alluring lips that felt oh-so-soft and warm when pressed against Sylvain's all those years ago…

When they had first met, Sylvain thought that Lorenz was the most pompous, irritating, pretentious snob of a noble that he'd ever had the misfortune of existing in the same space with. Sylvain's disdain for him only doubled when they became rivals in the realm of flirting with the ladies, and Sylvain thought that would be the extent of their relationship.

However, Sylvain had been wrong about that. After the whole Miklan mess, Sylvain had been assigned to stable duty with Lorenz and was in no mood to deal with his annoying rival. So he was surprised when Lorenz offered his condolences, stating that even though he personally knew that Miklan was an awful person and a poor example of the nobility - which Sylvain agreed with - he also knew that he was Sylvain's brother, and it must have hurt to lose a family member like that. Lorenz offered to make him tea sometime, and before Sylvain could think about rejecting the notion, he agreed to it instead.

And thus began their strange...friendship? Sylvain didn't really know how to explain it. After the first tea time went surprisingly well, with the topic of conversation revolving around their mutual interest and study of riding and lances, they began meeting up more often for tea, and they even ate meals and trained together occasionally. It was a bizarre shift in their dynamic, but Sylvain found his opinion of Lorenz changing considerably the more time he spent with him.

Lorenz seemed like a typical insufferable noble at first, but there was so much more to him. He took pride in his position, but for all the right reasons. He was determined to use his high ranking in the nobility to steer the Alliance in the proper direction, one that will benefit nobles and commoners alike. Sylvain concluded that the snobbier sides of his personality were due to a sheltered upbringing, plus the sketchy things that Sylvain had heard about Lorenz's father told him that he probably was not the greatest parent around. That made it all the more impressive that Lorenz was slowly realizing that himself, and to his chagrin, Sylvain had found himself falling for Lorenz.

The day of the ball had descended upon Garrag Mach in no time, and it almost seemed like fate that Sylvain found himself in the Goddess Tower with Lorenz that night. Lorenz had almost looked ethereal, with his beautiful purple hair shining in the glow of the moonlight (yes, even with that disastrous haircut of his). Sylvain had joked about them being in the tower together on this night of all nights, but an almost painful longing settled deep within his gut.

Lorenz had lamented about his duty to House Gloucester, specifically the one that called for him to marry a noble woman in order to produce a suitable heir that would hopefully inherit his crest. Sylvain had blurted out a question then: What would you do if you fell for a man?

"I-I do not know…" Lorenz had said, swallowing thickly as his eyes locked with Sylvain's and Lorenz's hand came up to cup his cheek, "I wish that I did, however, because...I fear that it has already happened."

With that bold declaration, their deep conversation about crests and nobility had somehow ended with an equally deep kiss, which then spiraled even further out of control to the ultimate result of Sylvain waking up in Lorenz's bed the following morning. It was then that Sylvain had realized that his feelings for Lorenz had unexpectedly blossomed into something much more complicated than he had initially realized.

Unfortunately, Sylvain never did get to tell Lorenz how he really felt. When the Empire declared war on the Church of Seiros, all Sylvain had time to do was kiss Lorenz briefly before they were ripped apart. They had obligations in the Kingdom and Alliance respectively, and Sylvain's heart hurt at the prospect of never seeing the man that he had come to love again.

Sylvain's fears only worsened when he showed up at the monastery after five years, to find that Lorenz had not arrived with the rest of their Alliance classmates. Sylvain had assumed the worst, that Lorenz had died in the war, and his broken heart had filled with regret at those words that he had left unsaid.

But now, here he was, with the love of his life staring at the business end of his lance, fighting on the opposite side of the war that he was. It was like Sylvain was living in a horrible nightmare.

"W-Who are you?" Lorenz finally said after what seemed like an eternity of silence, snapping Sylvain out of his trip down memory lane. He realized that he still had his helmet on, and he swallowed thickly as he reached up with one and hand to remove it. Lorenz's eyes went wide as he inhaled sharply.

"Sylvain...Is-Is that really you?" Lorenz said slowly, and Sylvain watched as the color drained from his face. Lorenz closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, his gaze rising to meet Sylvain's. The look of fiery resolve in those beautiful amethyst eyes took Sylvain's breath away, and he tightened his grip on his lance as his arms began shaking.

"I...yield. Though I will not beg for my life. T-That would be unbecoming for the one a-and only Lorenz Hellman G-Gloucester, wouldn't it?" A dry, humorless chuckle escaped him, and Sylvain's heart clenched when Lorenz's eyes took on a watery sheen, "All that I ask, Sylvain, is that you...make it quick. Please."

Sylvain swallowed thickly, which was difficult due to the desert that his throat had become. They were enemies. Lorenz was fighting for the Empire, and Sylvain for the Kingdom. He had no choice but to kill Lorenz. If he didn't, he would be branded a traitor. With Dimitri in the state of mind that he was in currently, there was no way that Sylvain would make the decision to spare Lorenz and come out with his head still attached to his shoulders. Sylvain would have to kill the man that he loved, without ever being able to tell him that…

Sylvain clenched his teeth so hard that his jaw hurt, and he pulled his lance back with violently trembling arms. He knew what he had to do, he just didn't know if he had the resolve to deal with the consequences. With his eyes still locked onto Lorenz's, Sylvain let out an anguished cry and thrust his lance down…

...and the blade embedded itself into the ground just above Lorenz's right shoulder.

Lorenz stared up at Sylvain with a stunned look on his face, and Sylvain dropped to his knees, straddling Lorenz as he roughly grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him up into a tight embrace.

"Lorenz...you _stupid fucking idiot!_" Sylvain's words came out as a strangled sob as he pressed his face against Lorenz's neck. Lorenz was too stunned to react for a moment, but he eventually raised his shaky arms and embraced Sylvain in return, with the tears that had welled up in his eyes finally falling down his face.

Sylvain couldn't do it. He couldn't kill the man that he loved, even if it called for his own death. He would pay any price as long and it meant that Lorenz went on living. When Sylvain took control of his sobbing, he lifted his head from Lorenz's neck, and he waited until Lorenz looked him in the eye.

"Why the fuck are you fighting for the Empire?" Sylvain blurted out, his eyes narrowing with annoyance, but his hands sought out Lorenz's and their fingers laced together like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"I…" Lorenz started, sighing deeply as he gave Sylvain's hands a squeeze, "I really had no choice, Sylvain. You must believe me. Gloucester territory borders the Empire. If my father hadn't sided with them, then we would have been invaded immediately. I could not endanger the lives of our people like that, and I feared that going against my father would further insight rebellion and discourse among the common folk."

"Lorenz…"

"I-I am truly sorry." Lorenz continued, lifting a hand to his face as he started sobbing again. "I n-never wanted to fight you like this...fight the man that I care s-so deeply for."

"Lorenz."

"I am so, so s-sorry, I-I am such a fool...You must think so poorly of me by now-"

Sylvain had enough of Lorenz's mopey rambling, so he decided to shut him up by grabbing his face and smashing their lips together. Lorenz's words were swallowed up by the tender, heated kiss, that tasted of tears and sweat, but to Sylvain it was the sweetest thing he'd ever tasted. The feeling of Lorenz smiling against his lips made Sylvain's broken heart start to mend itself. After such a long time apart, a time filled with war and death and believing the worst had happened to Lorenz, it seemed like Sylvain's nightmare was slowly turning into a bright reality.

When they finally pulled away, Sylvain smiled as he brushed the hair out of Lorenz's face and cupped his cheek. Lorenz smiled back and pressed his forehead against Sylvain's.

"Hey, I...really like what you've done with your hair." Sylvain whispered, his fingers brushing through the long, silky, purple locks. "You don't look like a coconut head anymore." Lorenz laughed at that, and Sylvain had forgotten what a wonderful sound that was.

"Rude. But, I am glad that you like it." Lorenz said, a fond look appearing in his eyes as he brushed his nose against Sylvain's. Sylvain stared deep into Lorenz's eyes, and he opened his mouth to finally say those three little words that were long overdue.

"Sylvain, _what_ are you doing?"

As the angry voice cut through the air, Sylvain immediately jumped to his feet and turned around, placing himself in between Lorenz and the last person that Sylvain wanted to see right now. Dimitri stood about five feet away, and if looks could kill Sylvain would have been long dead before he knew what hit him. Areadbhar was pointed directly at Sylvain, and he lifted his own lance in defense, but he knew that it was futile. If Dimitri decided to attack him, he would stand no chance.

"What are you waiting for? Kill him." Dimitri growled, taking a warning step forward. Sylvain gulped as he blanched, but he stood his ground, in spite of the violent trembling of his legs.

"No. If you want him, you'll have to go through me first." Sylvain said, and his heart hammered hard in his chest when Dimitri snarled at him.

"You...traitor. I'll sever your head from your shoulders." Dimitri spat, venom dripping from his tone as he took another step forward. Sylvain glanced behind him at Lorenz, who was staring at Dimitri with a mixture of shock and fear in his eyes. No, Sylvan would not let Dimitri kill the man that he loved, childhood friendship be damned.

Sylvain closed his eyes, bracing for impact when Dimitri finally lunged at him, but it didn't come. He heard the sound of metal hitting metal, and Sylvain's eyes opened to a welcoming site.

"Stand down, Dimitri. Lorenz has surrendered." Sylvain had never been happier to see his Professor before now. They had blocked Dimitri's attack with their sword, and their eyes never left the angry prince's, who glared back with his one piercing eye. A tense moment of silence crawled by, before Dimitri snarled again and pointed Areadbhar at Sylvain again.

"This isn't over." he hissed, before he turned around and stalked away. Byleth watched him leave, before they sighed and shook their head.

"It is over." Byleth mumbled, before turning around to face Lorenz. A small smile crossed their face as they extended a hand to him, and Lorenz gladly took it and was helped to his feet.

"Thank you, Professor." Lorenz said, before he turned to Sylvain as he frowned with concern, "Are you alright, Sylvain?"

"Yeah, I'm good." he said quickly, reaching over to take one of Lorenz's hands. Byleth's smile grew at the sight, and they placed a hand on Lorenz's shoulder.

"I'm glad to see that you're alright, Lorenz." Byleth said, and tears welled up in Lorenz's eyes again. "Please, join the Kingdom. We have taken the bridge, so you will not have to worry about the Empire invading your territory anymore."

"You're inviting me to join you? But...to abandon House Gloucester…" Lorenz mumbled, but a determined look crossed his face. "No, I-I can convince my father! I will join you. T-Thank you Professor…" The tears he had tried to hold back fell freely down his face now, and Byleth hugged him. Sylvain smiled at the sight. He was glad that their Professor was a reasonable individual. Byleth pulled away, and nodded at the two of them, before they turned and headed in the same direction that Dimitri had stalked off in.

Sylvain sighed deeply as he ran a hand through his hair. "Damn, that was pretty intense. I almost thought that he really was gonna kill me…"

"What...What happened to Dimitri?" Lorenz asked after a moment of hesitation. Sylvain shook his head and slipped his arms around his waist.

"I'll tell you later." Sylvain said as he pressed his forehead against Lorenz's. "There are more important things that I want to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Lorenz slipped his arms around Sylvain's back, pulling him closer. Not close enough, Sylvain internally lamented, and he couldn't wait until they were both out of their armor and could really feel Lorenz pressed flush against him.

"Lorenz...Back when the war started, we were forced apart so suddenly. I had so much that I wanted to tell you then," Sylvain started, his arms tightening around Lorenz's waist. He swallowed as a blush spread across his face, and Sylvain brushed his nose against Lorenz's.

"Ah, well…" Lorenz smirked at Sylvain as the latter fumbled with his words. Gods, why was he getting bashful now? He had just stared down a crazed Dimitri, but he was chickening out when it came to confessing his feelings? Sylvain pursed his lips and mustered up what courage he could.

"I...I love you, Lorenz." Sylvain finally spat it out, and a cute blush rose over Lorenz's cheeks. "I loved you back then, and I love you now. It broke my heart when you didn't show up with the rest of us for the reunion. I...I thought you were dead." Sylvain sniffed as a few tears fell down his face, and Lorenz reached up to cup his face and thumb them away.

"My darling," Lorenz said, and the word of endearment made Sylvain's heart soar. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say those words. Because I harbor the exact same feelings for you, and have for some time now."

"Really?" Sylvain's eyes lit up, and Lorenz chuckled softly.

"Yes. I love you too, Sylvain."

Sylvain couldn't contain his happiness as he kissed Lorenz again, and again, between bouts of giddy laughter. Lorenz laughed along with him, and they lost themselves in each other, forgetting that they were in the middle of a battlefield. The only thing that mattered was that they were together again, and that they both held an immense love for the other in their hearts.

"Ahem! Sorry to interrupt, but we're moving out you two!"

The two lovers parted to find Hilda grinning at them, and Lorenz gasped as he ran into her open arms, eagerly hugging his best friend.

"Hilda! It is so good to see you!" Lorenz said, and Hilda giggled as she pulled away.

"Yeah, yeah. Good to see you too. Sheesh, you had me really worried, you know. Why'd you go and join the Empire, you idiot?"

"It is a long story."

"It's probably boring too, so I'll pass!" Hilda said, waving her hand behind her as he walked off in the direction of the army. "C'mon, everyone else is waiting to see you too!"

Sylvain smiled fondly when Lorenz chuckled and turned back to him, stealing one last kiss before they both made to follow Hilda. Sylvain's hand slipped into Lorenz's, and he leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"I love you, Lorenz." Sylvain said, "I'm just...so happy that you're back in my life."

"Likewise, Sylvain. I love you too." Lorenz said, lifting Sylvain's hand to his lips to place a kiss on his knuckles. "I feel like I could take on the entirety of the Empire's army with you by my side." Sylvain barked out a laugh and shook his head.

"I'll be honest, babe, I wouldn't bet my money on you for that one."

"...How rude."

Their laughter filled the air as they continued on, hand-in-hand like it should be. Even if neither of them could take on the Imperial army on their own, Sylvain knew that as long as Lorenz was by his side, his future looked bright, and it was one that was worth fighting for.

* * *

So who all had a crisis when our resident purple son didn't show up after the time skip right away in AM? Because I sure as hell did D: Especially when he showed up on the battlefield as an enemy unit, but luckily it all worked out (for me at least) lmao Anyway, I'm love these two dorks a lot, thanks for reading!


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